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It's a hire for Apple straight out of Star Wars - literally. The big buzz around Cupertino is that "sound legend" and venerable cinematic audio innovator Tomlinson Holman has been hired by Apple to help dramatically improve the company's audio-related efforts, particularly with regard to phsyical products like the iDevice line.

Although Apple hasn't yet confirmed the hire, TWiT Network owner Leo Laporte broke the news by tweeting word of the hire which comes from a "good authority" on the matter. For the time being, Holman is a professor at the University of Southern California, where he has the inescapably cool reputation for being the guy who invented the Lucasfilm's epic THX sound system.

Also on the resume - and presumably something that hasn't came up in many job interviews around Apple - is that fact that Holman is an Academy Award winner (for technical achievement), an accomplishment that bodes well for anyone hoping that future generation iPhones and iPads will have better sound systems than your nearest IMAX theater.

While the hire of Holman is likely true given all we've heard thus far, what isn't clear is how Apple plans to tap the talents of a man with more audio engineering experience than virtually anyone else in the entertainment industry, and the holder of countless patents around the world for innovations that literally changed the relationship between entertainment and sound forever.